This summary is provided by the IPR Organizational Communication Research Center
The Survey Center on American Life analyzed how Americans’ work plays a role in their self identity and explored whether work gives people a sense of purpose.
A survey of 5,037 American adults was conducted in June 2022.
Key findings include:
1.) 81% of respondents said the statement that their “current work is a good fit for their personal interests and abilities”, described their current situation very or somewhat well.
— 59% of employees 65 and older said their work is a good fit, followed by employees aged 50-64 (45%), employees aged 30-49 (38%), and employees aged 18-29 (30%).
2.) Employees with a college degree (40%) were slightly more likely than those with a high school education or less (35%) to say that their work was a good fit.
— 47% of employees with a postgraduate degree said describing their job as a good fit represented their current situation very well.
3.) 41% of employees said the statement “my work is an important part of who I am” describes them somewhat well, followed by 30% who said it described them well, and 27% who said it did not describe them at all.
4.) 85% of respondents said the statement “I’m generally proud to tell people where I work or what I do for a living” describes them very or somewhat well.
Read the original research here.
